activity theory
Theory which suggests that for individuals to enjoy old age and feel satisfied, they must maintain activities and find a replacement for the statuses and associated roles they have left behind as they aged.
The social withdrawal that Cumming and Henry recognized (1961), and its notion that elderly people need to find replacement roles for those they have lost, is addressed anew in activity theory.
age stratification theory
Theory which states that members of society are stratified by age, just as they are stratified by race, class, and gender.
Another theory in the critical perspective is age stratification theory (Riley, Johnson, and Foner, 1972).
ageism
Discrimination based on age.
Ageism is discrimination (when someone acts on a prejudice) based on age.
baby boomers
Canadians born between approximately 1946 and 1964.
Another reason for the greying of Canada can be attributed to the aging of the baby boomers.
centenarians
People 100 years old or older.
In 2013 the number of centenarians (those 100 years or older) in Canada was 6,900, almost 20 centenarians per 100,000 persons, compared to 11 centenarians per 100,000 persons in 2001 (Statistics Canada, 2013b).
cohort
A group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait.
A cohort is a group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait.
continuity theory
Theory which states that the elderly make specific choices to maintain consistency in internal (personality structure, beliefs) and external structures (relationships), remaining active and involved throughout their elder years.
According to continuity theory, the elderly do not drastically change their lifestyles, behaviours, or identities.
dependency ratio
The number of productive working citizens to non-productive (young, disabled, or elderly).
This percentage is expected to increase and will have a huge impact on the dependency ratio.
disengagement theory
Theory which suggests that withdrawing from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing old.
The earliest gerontological theory in the functionalist perspective is disengagement theory, which suggests that withdrawing from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing old.
elder abuse
When a caretaker intentionally deprives an older person of care or harms the person in their charge.
Elder abuse describes when a caretaker intentionally deprives an older person of care or harms the person in his or her charge.
exchange theory
Theory which suggests that we experience an increased dependence as we age and must increasingly submit to the will of others, because we have fewer ways of compelling others to submit to us.
Finally, exchange theory (Dowd, 1975), a rational-choice approach, suggests that one’s status and role identity within social relationships depend on an ongoing exchange of social resources such as effort, time, money, support, and companionship.
filial piety
Deference and respect to one’s parents and ancestors in all things.
In China, several studies have noted the attitude of filial piety (deference and respect to one’s parents and ancestors in all things) as defining all other virtues (Hamilton, 1990; Hsu, 1971).
geriatrics
A medical specialty focusing on the elderly.
In the early 1900s, a New York physician named Dr. Ignatz Nascher coined the term geriatrics, a medical specialty focusing on the elderly.
gerontocracy
A type of social structure wherein the power is held by a society’s oldest members.
Many preindustrial societies observed gerontocracy, a type of social structure wherein the power is held by a society’s oldest members.
gerontology
A field of science that seeks to understand the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older.
Gerontology is a field of science that seeks to understand the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older.
gerotranscendence
The idea that as people age, they transcend limited views of life they held in earlier times.
Swedish sociologist Lars Tornstam developed a symbolic interactionist theory called gerotranscendence: the idea that as people age, they transcend the limited views of life they held in earlier times.
grief
A psychological, emotional, and social response to the feelings of loss that accompanies death or a similar event.
Name the five stages of grief developed by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
hospice
Health care that treats terminally ill people by providing comfort during the dying process.
The changing concept of hospice is an indicator of our society’s changing view of death.
life course
The period from birth to death, including a sequence of predictable life events.
Age is not merely a biological function of the number of years one has lived, or of the physiological changes the body goes through during the life course.
life expectancy
The number of years a person is expected to live.
The median age of women is higher than men, 41.1 compared to 39.4, due to the persistent higher life expectancy of women (although the gap between genders has been diminishing).
modernization theory
Theory which suggests that the primary cause of the elderly losing power and influence in society are the parallel forces of industrialization and modernization.
Modernization theory (Cowgill and Holmes, 1972) suggests that the primary cause of the elderly losing power and influence in society are the parallel forces of industrialization and modernization.
physician-assisted suicide
The voluntary use of lethal medication provided by a medical doctor to end one’s life.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian was a staunch advocate for physician-assisted suicide: the voluntary or physician-assisted use of lethal medication provided by a medical doctor to end one’s life.
primary aging
Biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes.
Biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes are called primary aging.
secondary aging
Aging that occurs due to controllable factors like exercise and diet.
Aging that occurs due to controllable factors such as lack of exercise and poor diet is called secondary aging.
selective optimization with compensation theory
The idea that successful personal development throughout the life course and subsequent mastery of the challenges associated with everyday life are based on the components of selection, optimization, and compensation.
Another theory within the symbolic interaction perspective is selective optimization with compensation theory.
senescence
The aging process, including biological, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual changes.
The term senescence refers to the aging process, including biological, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual changes.
social gerontology
A specialized field of gerontology that examines the social (and sociological) aspects of aging.
Social gerontology refers to a specialized field of gerontology that examines the social (and sociological) aspects of aging.
subculture of aging theory
A theory that focuses on the shared community created by the elderly when they are excluded (due to age), voluntarily or involuntarily, from participating in other groups.
One microanalytical theory is Rose’s (1962) subculture of aging theory, which focuses on the shared community created by the elderly when they are excluded (due to age), voluntarily or involuntarily, from participating in other groups.
thanatology
The systematic study of death and dying.
Kübler-Ross’s work is generally considered a major contribution to thanatology: the systematic study of death and dying.
These terms were extracted from Introduction to Sociology – 2nd Canadian Edition by William Little, eCampusOntario (originally published by BCcampus, 2016) which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on Introduction to Sociology by OpenStax (© 2013 Rice University), licensed under CC BY 3.0.